-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 19-year-old gunman who killed eight people and then himself Wednesday at the Westroads Mall in Omaha , Nebraska , left a suicide note , police said .

Police have identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins , 19 , of Nebraska .

Five other people were injured , and two of them were in critical condition , hospital officials said .

Chief Thomas Warren of the Omaha Police Department called the shooting `` premeditated , '' but said it `` appears to be very random and without provocation . ''

Surveillance cameras may have captured the shooting , Warren said .

`` We 'll be here throughout the night ; it 's a very extensive crime scene , '' he said .

Police identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins of Nebraska .

They have recovered an SKS assault rifle and the suspect 's vehicle .

Debora Maruca Kovac , Hawkins ' landlord who found the suicide note , said he wrote he was sorry for everything and did not want to be a burden to anyone any longer . Watch landlord describe phone call from shooter ''

Hawkins said in the note he loved his friends and family , but `` he was a piece of s -- all his life , and now he 'll be famous , '' she told CNN .

She said Hawkins was a friend of her sons and `` reminded me of a lost puppy that nobody wanted . ''

He came to live with her about a year and a half ago , telling her he could not stay with his own family because of `` some issues with his stepmother and him . ''

She described Hawkins as well-behaved , although `` he had a lot of emotional problems , obviously . ''

The shootings began about 1:42 p.m. Seven people were found dead at the scene by officers arriving six minutes later ; two others , a male and a female , died after being transported to Creighton University Medical Center , said Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist .

A Creighton spokeswoman said a second female was undergoing surgery and was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon .

Three other people were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center . One , a 61-year-old man who sustained a chest wound after being shot in the armpit , underwent surgery and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit Wednesday night , said hospital spokeswoman Maggie O'Brien . Learn more about the victims ''

The other two -- a 34-year-old man who was shot in the arm , and a 55-year-old man who fell and struck a clothing rack as he was trying to escape -- were treated and released , she said .

Maruca Kovac told CNN that Hawkins left home Wednesday about 11 a.m. , and called the house about two hours later , sounding upset .

`` He just said he wanted to thank me for everything I 'd done for him ... and he was sorry , '' Maruca Kovac said . He told her he had gotten fired from his job , she said .

`` I said , ` Come home and we 'll talk about it , ' '' she said . `` He said , ` It 's too late . ' He said he 'd left a note explaining everything . ''

Witness Jennifer Kramer told CNN she heard at least 25 shots . Watch witnesses describe the ordeal ''

`` He just kept firing , '' she said . She said she called 911 on her cell phone , whispering into it out of fear of being heard . A dispatcher told her other calls had been received and help was on the way , but she said it seemed to take `` a long time '' for them to arrive .

`` It was just so loud , and then it was silence , '' she said . `` I was scared to death he 'd be walking around looking for someone else . ''

She said as she was being escorted out by police , she saw a man lying injured by the escalator where she had been previously .

`` All of us were slightly confused because we did n't know what it was , '' said mall employee Charissa Tatoon about the first burst of gunfire .

`` Immediately after that , there was a series of maybe 20 to 25 more shots up on the third floor .

`` I was in the women 's shoe department and there was a gentleman coming down the escalator that was very near the shoe department , and he was heard saying that he was calling 911 , and immediately after that , the shooter shot down from the third floor and shot him on the second floor . ''

Warren , the police chief , said the victims included five females and three males , not including Hawkins . `` We believe there was one shooter , and one shooter only , '' he said .

Maruca Kovac said she was unaware Hawkins had any guns , although she said he knew a lot about them , as did his stepfather . `` When he first came to live with us , he was in the fetal position and chewed his fingernails all the time , '' she said .

But she said she thought he was improving , as he had gotten a job , a haircut and a girlfriend . However , she said Hawkins and his girlfriend had broken up in the last couple of weeks , and he had taken it hard .

She said late Wednesday that authorities were searching her house for evidence .

`` My kids are devastated , '' she said . `` We 're all in shock . ''

Hawkins ' former school district released a photo of a youth with glasses and long black hair . A spokeswoman said he attended Papillon-La Vista High School until he withdrew in March 2006 .

Witnesses described chaos and frantic shoppers running away from the Von Maur store , where the shooting began just before 2 p.m.

`` You 're in such shock , it 's hard to think . I was hoping God would spare us , '' said a woman who was clutching a rosary in her trembling hand after the shootings . `` We had to put up our hands and follow the police to the outside . ''

Others described scenes of horror as they fled the mall . See a map of where the shooting took place ''

Some shoppers and mall employees hid in clothes racks , dressing rooms and bathrooms after hearing the shots .

Most of the victims were shot inside the Von Maur store , Sgt. Teresa Negron said . Watch police talk about the shooting ''

President Bush had visited Omaha Wednesday before the shooting .

`` The president is deeply saddened by the shootings in Omaha , Nebraska , earlier today , '' White House press secretary Dana Perino said .

`` His thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families this evening . Having just visited with so many members of the community in Omaha today , the president is confident that they will pull together to comfort one another as they deal with this terrible tragedy . ''

As news of the shooting spread , people gathered outside the mall , checking on loved ones who were inside .

The shopping center will be closed until at least Thursday , police said .

The shooting was at least the fourth at a mall or shopping center so far this year , following incidents in Salt Lake City , Utah ; Kansas City , Missouri ; and Douglasville , Georgia . E-mail to a friend

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Landlord says shooter called and told her : `` It 's too late ''

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Police : Surveillance cameras may have captured the shooting

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Police identify the shooter as Robert A. Hawkins , 19

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Two of the wounded are in critical condition